The Taste of Death. [ HIATUS ]

I - The Darkness.

     The year was 1456 - decades after the deaths of the Belladonnas. The church still ruled, though its word grew weaker. Religion was just an echo on the back of kingdom's mind. The churches were reduced to small huts - the priests became corrupted. Thoughts of the holy ghost were shifted into those of greed and lust. Members of the church began demanding coin - forcing a hefty fee for their spoken word. Vows of Celibacy had lost their meanings; as the same men who once had given the oath to abstain from intercourse were now having their way with the common whores. Though not all had lost their ways... Many began calling doomsday. predicting that the maker would soon come down and unleash his wrath upon the sinner. They predicted a Blight. That a great horror would be cast upon them. Soon, the locals had begun to fear their words - and as a result of this, they avoided the church even more. Deciding to render themselves blind from the preachings - the warnings of a great evil began to fall on deaf ears. The time of Madness was near, and the time of Darkness had come.

First, it started with the children.

 Little boys and little girls began creeping from the wall, leaving the safety of the guards, roaming towards ominous woods. Perhaps it was curiosity, or perhaps it was that something was calling out to them - demanding them to listen. And once they had returned, their innocence was lost. Replaced with an immense hunger; they growled and groaned - no words came from their mouths, their eyes no longer twinkled in the sun - the sclera turning red, their tears replaced with blood. Their skin changed into an appalling tone of gray, it being accompanied with blisters and bruises. They were no longer children, no. Now they were abominations. Abominations which fed upon the blood of others, abominations which lured in their prey, and unremorsefully killed.

Then, it spread with the parents.

The chaos arose, the streets become full of weeping fathers and screaming mothers, and throughout the pandemonium, the officials were alerted and soon the king was as well. Action needed to be taken, quickly as well. In only a couple of days, the kingdom had begun to fall apart. In hopes of providing a quick solution, King Leopoldo order a public execution to all the families afflicted by the curse. The children were sentenced to die off, starved and hunted. The parents were all murdered. They hung on the trees surrounding the walls - a message to the woods. A message with the intent of showing their control over the situation. Though it ended up serving more as a warning to upcoming travelers. 

Finally, the monsters came.

      As the clock struck twelve, a hoard of demons rose up from the ground. Like the children, they craved human flesh, their teeth were long and sharp, they were fanged monsters. Though they had humanoid features, they crawled on all fours and were easily able to climb up the kingdom's tall walls. The residents stood no chance; the demons moved with the shadows, becoming invisible with the darkness. They were as fast as light and were able to rip through throats without even blinking. Their unnaturally pale skin now drenched in blood, leaving a trail with every movement. Pretty soon the grounds became a pool of the guck - a mixture of bones, guts, and half-eaten corpses. Those who were able to make it to their homes began boarding up the windows and doors. Closing themselves off from any who needed their aid. The homeless were the first to go, and then the peasants, the workers coming in third. The only thing left was the screams of mercy and the callings for the Maker - humanity had lost this round.

In three hours, the creatures had disappeared - lowering back to where they came from, preparing themselves for their next raid - which would begin the following day, at twelve A.M. With peace at least, even if for only a short amount of time, the townsfolk left their houses - looking out to collect their dead, to see who were able to make it alive and who didn't. In three hours, almost half of the entire kingdom was lost. And when word had finally gotten to the king, it had already become too late. Yet, this was only a taste; a taste of what was to come. Everyone knew - this was what they deserved.. or so they believed. To them, this was the work of an angry God, a God in which sent these beings to punish them. His wrath wasn't over, they knew this. And so every day, they prepared for those three cursed hours - bricking themselves inside their homes. The King helped to influence their behavior, as he allowed those with no place of their own to shelter themselves in his castle. But, this was just a temporary solution, and he needed results. Permanent ones. 

 He knew not what he was dealing with, and so he turned to one of his best men, Logain. A skilled warrior, and a counselor to the King. He would need to rely on something forbidden... on magic.

 "Logain. Find me someone with knowledge of magic. We're going to need all the help we can get and my men know nothing of what this curse can be. I don't care who it is, but please, don't spread a word about this to anyone. I don't want it getting around. Be discreet, but be productive. Make this your number one priority... I'm afraid the fate of the Kingdom is at stake here. Please, be on your way now." Demanded the king, giving Logain a final pat on his shoulder before pointing him to the exit.

     "Very well, your grace. I shall return in three days time. With a powerful sorceress by my side, I promise this to you." Said Logain, rising from his bent knee, and marching towards the doors.

"Use that charm of yours, Logain."

Responded the King - giving the warrior a faint smile, watching as he disappeared into the outside world.